Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Waters has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from 20 analysts: 10 rate it a buy, three a strong buy, and seven a hold. The average 12-month price target is $424.35.
• Recent brokerages raised their price targets, including Royal Bank of Canada to $475, Goldman Sachs to $425, and Evercore maintaining a $420 target.
• Waters exceeded quarterly expectations with $3.05 in adjusted EPS versus $3.01 expected and $1.65 billion in revenue versus $1.62 billion forecast; analysts project $14.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have issued a buy recommendation and three have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $424.35.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WAT. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $420.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Waters from $380.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Waters from $435.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waters news, Director Christopher Kuebler sold 3,626 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.94, for a total value of $1,442,930.44. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 17,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,086,515.52. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Waters in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. PenderFund Capital Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Waters in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT lifted its stake in Waters by 121.2% in the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Vision Retirement LLC bought a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $413.61 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $40.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 103.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.19. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $391.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $351.04. Waters has a 12 month low of $282.77 and a 12 month high of $426.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.62 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 3.58%.Waters's revenue was up 113.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.95 earnings per share. Waters has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.950-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.450-14.650 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Waters will post 14.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waters Company Profile

Waters Corporation is a global provider of analytical instruments, software and services for laboratory and research applications. The company designs, manufactures and sells technologies centered on liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, separation science, and related sample preparation and detection systems. Its product portfolio includes chromatographs, mass spectrometers, columns and consumables, laboratory informatics and workflow software, as well as technical support and training services that help customers run and interpret complex analyses.

Waters serves a wide range of end markets that include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, contract research and testing laboratories, academic and government research institutions, clinical diagnostics, food and environmental testing, and industrial and chemical manufacturers.

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